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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #109076
Title: A SURVEY OF FALL ARMYWORM (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) PARASITOIDS IN THE MEXICAN STATES OF MICHOACAN, COLIMA, JALISCO, AND TAMAULIPAS

Author
item MOLINA-OCHOA, JAIME - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item Hamm, John
item LEZAMA-GUTIERREZ, ROBERTO - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item LOPEZ-EDWARDS, MARILU - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item GONZALEZ-RAMIREZ, MARTIN - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item PESCADOR-RUBIO, ALFONSO - UNIV. OF COLIMA

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The fall armyworm is an important pest of corn, sorghum, and grasses in the United States and Mexico as well as in much of Central and South America. Because the fall armyworm cannot overwinter in the colder parts of the U.S. it migrates north from its overwintering areas in southern Florida, southern Texas and Mexico each spring. Thus increased control of the fall armyworm population in Mexico would benefit agriculture in both Mexico and the U.S. A survey of hymenopteran parasites of fall armyworm larvae attacking corn and sorghum in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, and Tamaulipas was made in an effort to increase our potential for biological control of fall armyworm. Eleven species of parasitic wasps were recovered from fall armyworm larvae. The overall rate of parasitism was 11.3% but was as high as 26.5% in one collection. The differences in distribution of the parasitic species indicates some potential for movement tof parasitic species from one area to another to increase the rates of parasitism. Also, a number of species that were not clearly identifiable indicates the need for additional taxonomic studies in these groups in order to understand the importance of different species as biocontrol agents.

Technical Abstract: Fall armyworm larvae, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) were collected from whorl-stage corn or sorghum in the states of Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco in August, and Tamaulipas Mexico in September 1998. Eleven species of hymenopteran parasitoids were recovered representing 3 families: Ichneumonidae (Ophion flavidus Brulle, Campoletis flavicincta Ashmead, and Pristomerus spinator F.); Braconidae (Aleiodes laphygmae Viereck, Cotesia marginiventris Cresson, Meteorus laphygmae Viereck, Meteorus sp., Chelonus insularis Cresson, Chelonus sp. probably cautus Cresson, and Chelonus sp.); and Eulophidae (Euplectrus platyhpenae Howard). The overall rate of parasitism was 11.3%, based on 2219 larvae collected. The highest rate of parasitism from a single collection was 26.5%, representing 6 species of parasitoids in Michoacan. The next highest rate of parasitism, 23%, was by a single species, C. flavicincta, in Michoacan. The most widely distributed species was P. spinator, occuring in 12 collections from 3 states. Chelonus sp. was collected from all four states in only 6 collections. The greater diversity of parasitoids and higher rates of parasitism in Michoacan may be related to the more diverse habitat with more forests, orchards, and pastures near the cornfields in that state.